Category: People and Practice

The Sexiest Cow in Bali: Turning Business Waste Into a Product

A cow bought to keep a riverside block clear became the centre of a daily waste exchange that cut costs for a whole neighbourhood. The same logic runs through six Indonesian businesses that turn discarded material into a product people will pay for. READ MORE →
How a Dive School Owner Fell Two Years Behind on Tax and Put His Team at Risk

A skilled diver built a school that filled its boats and put fifteen people to work, then fell two years behind on the company’s tax filing. The old portal closed, the company never entered Coretax, and the staff were left unable to file their own returns. This is the human story, and the recovery. READ MORE →
How a Trusted Director Drained the Company a Creative Founder had Built

Sales were strong, yet the money never reached the company account. One founder’s story of a trusted director, misappropriated funds, and the long road back. READ MORE →
Service Level Auditing in Indonesia: How a Measured Standard Becomes a Competitive Position

Every enterprise believes it knows its own standard, and an unmeasured standard drifts until a guest sees the gap. A service level audit measures the standard an enterprise delivers against the one its market expects. This article shows, through an anonymised resort that measured too late, why a measured standard is a competitive position in… READ MORE →
Most Operators Compete by Doing the Same Thing as Their Rivals: Slightly Better or Slightly Cheaper

A foreign-owned investor came to Bali with a recycling model that could not fit the island’s roads, and left rather than adapt it. The demand stayed where it was. This article shows how a domestic enterprise finds the market gap a foreign operator leaves, and takes the position at the scale it chooses to serve. READ MORE →
Competitive Advantage in Indonesia: Winning the Position Your Rivals Cannot See

A foreign investor or partner assesses an Indonesian company across four areas before committing, namely governance, financial records, ownership structure, and communication. This article sets out what those parties require, and how a compliant domestic enterprise that meets the standard can attract capital and trade on its own terms as Bali tightens the rules on… READ MORE →
What it Costs to Put an Employee on the Books in Indonesia

The headline gross salary is rarely the figure that arrives in a foreign owner’s monthly budget. After BPJS contributions, PPh Article 21 withholding, the THR reserve, and the payroll cycle costs, the fully-loaded cost of an Indonesian employee runs at 115 to 118 per cent of gross. READ MORE →
When Your Client Asks If You Can Do It Cheaper: Choose Value Over Price

When a client asks if you can do it cheaper, they are usually reacting to uncertainty, not questioning your competence. This article explains the behavioural forces that push buyers toward price, then sets out a practical method for choosing value over price using outcomes, ownership, evidence, and risk controls. It is written for founders and… READ MORE →
Preventable Failure in PT PMA Ownership: Why Investors Need to Slow Down for Due Diligence and Feasibility

Preventable failure in PT PMA ownership often starts before revenue. This article sets out a disciplined investment gating workflow using PT PMA due diligence and PT PMA feasibility study steps to reduce structural, regulatory, and governance risk. READ MORE →
High Interest Lending Scams in Indonesia: A Quiet Message, a Missing Borrower, and a Visit to the Police

High interest lending scams in Indonesia often begin as friendly, informal deals. In this case, a client ignored repeated warnings, advanced larger sums, and the borrower vanished. TraceWorthy’s records now support a criminal investigation. The article unpacks the legal process, the psychology of “money games”, and how disciplined due diligence can prevent similar losses. READ MORE →